Observation/Reflection #2: Eyes in the Back of Your Head: Observing Student Actions
From a seat in the rear of the room, observe your students and take notes on what they are doing while the teacher is presenting in the front of the room, while they are supposed to be taking notes, doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher. What strategies are used by your CT to encourage students to attend and engage? Watch carefully how your CT moves around the room. Draw a map of the classroom and sketch a path showing (approximately) this movement. How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement? How will use your proximity to provide feedback and manage student behavior?
Today, I was put in a very good position to complete this journal. I alternately sat in the back of class watching a video or class business being conducted, observed and graded during a test period, and got to see how different classes acted together in an entirely different setting. All in all, out of the many middle school placements I have been in, I can say this is a great team of teachers and students. Despite being young adolescents, every single student I met was friendly and respectful--to everyone. Each class I observed knew and followed class procedure without being asked; if they were misbehaving and were reprimanded, the student would immediately get back on task and try to focus. If the lights were off and the video was on, the room was quiet. There wasn’t even any sort of degradation of behavior as you got towards the back of the room away from my CT. If anything, my CT walks around and checks in enough with her students to discourage any sort of bad behavior. The worst thing her classes do on a regular basis (according to the CT) is losing all the handouts she gives them, even when she three-hole punches them and requires a binder with dividers and allows them time in class to get organized. She was anything but stationary, walking in with her class, to a private desk to get materials, to the podium, in front of the podium, and weaving in and out of the tables and desks. While she was doing this, she was handing back work and giving general feedback as to the quality; it seems as though most of the class is working well with the material, but handwriting is an issue. If they were taking a test, she walked around to meet with students who needed clarification. During the video, she watched with them and asked questions, as it was on a topic they had just finished.
A special sort of class activity happened today as well. My CT and the social studies teacher on the team decided to bring their students outside for twenty minutes to get some fresh air and get rid of energy after testing all morning. They all were quiet and orderly walking through the halls, even maintaining control once they were out of the school and on the tennis courts. This was key, as we unexpectedly encountered the superintendent and the vice superintendent walking through the halls on the way to a meeting; on the spot, we decided this activity was for team building. So we ran relays. The teachers even participated on their class’s team, which was awesome.
I think the key to managing a class is keeping students interested and engaged, as Teach Like a Pirate stresses. My students being engaged is very important to me; I know they’re required to attend my class, but that doesn’t give me the right to waste their time. And if they are not going to like science, or even appreciate it, the least I can do is build a good rapport and plan interesting activities. My CT demonstrated some good ways to keep students engaged, like not staying still while discussing things, or even when they are doing quiet independent work. Managing to keep a whole class interested during an outdated video is possible if you're willing to blur the teacher/student lines and participate with your students:watch the video, point out cool things, and soon. If I’m checking in individually with students, I can direct feedback based on both performance and behavior as soon as possible.When combined with respect, engagement can really drive the atmosphere of the classroom, as well student behavior. I was surprised how happy all the students at this middle school seemed and how inclusive students were to each other if someone looked sad or left out; I attribute this to the consistent good behavior of all classes I saw today. The team community also seemed strong, as this was consistent even when the number of kids doubled and you took away all the structure a classroom has.
Observation/Reflection #2: Eyes in the Back of Your Head: Observing Student Actions
From a seat in the rear of the room, observe your students and take notes on what they are doing while the teacher is presenting in the front of the room, while they are supposed to be taking notes, doing seatwork, and/or when they are working in the lab. Look closely at each student for a range of behaviors, and resist the temptation on only see what you expect. Note especially what is happening furthest from the teacher. What strategies are used by your CT to encourage students to attend and engage? Watch carefully how your CT moves around the room. Draw a map of the classroom and sketch a path showing (approximately) this movement. How important is student engagement to your view of how you will teach? What strategies will you employ to encourage student engagement? How will use your proximity to provide feedback and manage student behavior?Today, I was put in a very good position to complete this journal. I alternately sat in the back of class watching a video or class business being conducted, observed and graded during a test period, and got to see how different classes acted together in an entirely different setting. All in all, out of the many middle school placements I have been in, I can say this is a great team of teachers and students. Despite being young adolescents, every single student I met was friendly and respectful--to everyone. Each class I observed knew and followed class procedure without being asked; if they were misbehaving and were reprimanded, the student would immediately get back on task and try to focus. If the lights were off and the video was on, the room was quiet. There wasn’t even any sort of degradation of behavior as you got towards the back of the room away from my CT. If anything, my CT walks around and checks in enough with her students to discourage any sort of bad behavior. The worst thing her classes do on a regular basis (according to the CT) is losing all the handouts she gives them, even when she three-hole punches them and requires a binder with dividers and allows them time in class to get organized. She was anything but stationary, walking in with her class, to a private desk to get materials, to the podium, in front of the podium, and weaving in and out of the tables and desks. While she was doing this, she was handing back work and giving general feedback as to the quality; it seems as though most of the class is working well with the material, but handwriting is an issue. If they were taking a test, she walked around to meet with students who needed clarification. During the video, she watched with them and asked questions, as it was on a topic they had just finished.
A special sort of class activity happened today as well. My CT and the social studies teacher on the team decided to bring their students outside for twenty minutes to get some fresh air and get rid of energy after testing all morning. They all were quiet and orderly walking through the halls, even maintaining control once they were out of the school and on the tennis courts. This was key, as we unexpectedly encountered the superintendent and the vice superintendent walking through the halls on the way to a meeting; on the spot, we decided this activity was for team building. So we ran relays. The teachers even participated on their class’s team, which was awesome.
I think the key to managing a class is keeping students interested and engaged, as Teach Like a Pirate stresses. My students being engaged is very important to me; I know they’re required to attend my class, but that doesn’t give me the right to waste their time. And if they are not going to like science, or even appreciate it, the least I can do is build a good rapport and plan interesting activities. My CT demonstrated some good ways to keep students engaged, like not staying still while discussing things, or even when they are doing quiet independent work. Managing to keep a whole class interested during an outdated video is possible if you're willing to blur the teacher/student lines and participate with your students:watch the video, point out cool things, and soon. If I’m checking in individually with students, I can direct feedback based on both performance and behavior as soon as possible.When combined with respect, engagement can really drive the atmosphere of the classroom, as well student behavior. I was surprised how happy all the students at this middle school seemed and how inclusive students were to each other if someone looked sad or left out; I attribute this to the consistent good behavior of all classes I saw today. The team community also seemed strong, as this was consistent even when the number of kids doubled and you took away all the structure a classroom has.